Olefins, such as propylene, are commonly used for producing polymers, such as polypropylene. Propylene can be produced. e.g., by steam cracking; propanol dehydrogenation, the propanol being derived from propionaldehyde (also known as propanal) for example; etc.
Propanol and propanal can be produced using hydroformylation, e.g., by contacting syngas and C2 unsaturates such as ethylene with a hydroformylation catalyst according to the following equation:CO+H2+C2H4→CH3CH2CHO.The propanal can be hydrogenated to produce the propanol. Although the C2 unsaturates can be manufactured in conventional processes such as steam cracking, hydrocracking, and fluid catalytic cracking, the amount of hydrogen and carbon monoxide available in the product of those processes is not sufficient for hydroformylating a significant amount of the C2 unsaturates. Consequently, commercial hydroformylation processes, such as the “Oxo” process, utilize an external syngas source, such as a steam reforming or hydrocarbon partial oxidation process.
There is therefore a need for a process for producing C2 unsaturates and sufficient hydrogen and carbon monoxide to hydroformylate the C2 unsaturates to propanal and propanol.